


A Moment

by YutaUke



Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24305467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YutaUke/pseuds/YutaUke
Summary: Although the time for Crystalcrown to find out the reality of their relationship would come, only for this time, he wanted to spend their precious moments as a father and a daughter. "Then, papa should practice pigtails first, okay?!" - A oneshot from Crystallo Filia Universe - Dad!Cor
Relationships: Cor Leonis & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	A Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Ahem! This is my first English fic! At first I write it in Bahasa because I'm Indonesian lol. Finally I can post the story about Crystalcrown and Cor!  
> Btw, Crystalcrown is my OC from my fic Crystallo Filia (CF) and this fic is taken from CF's universe
> 
> Beta reader: FluoxetineHcl (she made this fic’s cuteeeerr! as expected for mastah cutie cutie lol) - Please visit her works too!

The wind blew pretty hard that night, as it brought the cold and dry air of February. The sun had disappeared in the horizon, smearing the sky with the deep darkness. The silver moon had risen, revealing its form together with its thousands of flickering friends; the stars.

In a dark hallway, a brown-haired man walked in silence. His sturdy body was reflected by the dim light, which gave the man a lonely companion, a shadow of night.

For a couple of times, he glanced at the black watch on his wrist, bringing the two bright blue orbs of him to watch how the smallest hand of it moved in every second that passed.

It was already past ten.

He sighed, filling the silence of the night with his heavy breathing. The regret engulfed his heart as he knew that he had wasted several minutes earlier to return to his house before coming to the citadel.

His short brown hair was slightly damp, and because of that, he tightened his thick black jacket over to cover his big body from chilled air that seemed to slip in from window gaps. Once again, he brought the pair of his blue jewels to his watch which kept telling him that the time was moving still.

The exhaustion and impatience were drawn all over his frowning face. He swung his legs in a hurry, as fast as possible so he could arrive there in no minute. He couldn't wait to see the high black door which was decorated with a small pink flower bell on its front, the door which would bring him to meet his little roseate girl, the door which would lead him into the room that he had been neglected for weeks because he should leave for his mission.

The man gave another heavy sigh, as he let it go to express his frustration. Once again, impatience burst in without mercy, filling his chest with an unpleasant feeling.

This kind of emotion was new to him. An emotion that he never once felt before his little girl came into his life.

Cor Leonis never imagined that he could have this kind of feeling. He was embraced by an overwhelming longing which could make him drive his car past the speed limit and walk in a hurry like this.

Who would have thought that Cor, who accepted his king's request to be a father for the child of Eos's second crystal, developed a deep feeling toward his little girl who always followed him wherever he went and called him 'Papa'—a nickname given by his friends, Clarus and Regis; because they thought that it would be cuter if Cor was being called as Papa than Daddy.

Yes... At first, Cor only saw the girl as a responsibility given by the leader of this country. However, after spending time together with her, another affection grew in his heart.

He didn't deny the fact that the servants in the citadel were actually the one who did his job to take care of his little girl—as the Marshal of the Crownsguard, Cor didn't have much free time to do so. Even so, there was a feeling that continued to grow, for the child he named 'Crystalcrown'—the name he gave after three months of contemplating and deciding. She had become a precious figure in his life. She was irreplaceable… and she had also become a part of Leonis—his family.

He, who had just returned from a tiring task outside the Crown City, actually decided to go to see Crystalcrown the next morning—considering that he arrived at Sleepless City of Insomnia around nine o'clock. However, when he arrived at his house, the sudden urge to meet the child immediately coursed through his body. He didn't imagine that the desire to see her childish face became too unbearable for him to handle.

Therefore, after taking a shower and changing his clothes, he decided to go to the citadel. Even if he wouldn't be welcomed by her little daughter, he would be satisfied with just staring at her sleeping face.

The pace of his steps got slower when the man arrived in front of Crystalcrown's bedroom. He halted in front of her door for a couple of minutes to maintain his composure by taking a deep breath. He didn't understand why standing right before his daughter's bedroom made a sweet feeling wrap his chest.

After a few minutes of doing nothing but standing still, he raised his large hand to the cold golden-colored door handle. He slowly pushed the tall object in front of him as soft as possible. He just didn't want his sleeping daughter to be awakened by the noise he made. He also already anticipated that he would be greeted by the dark room because Crystalcrown only wanted to sleep without light.

But… When he opened the door, the bright room that greeted him made Cor crook his eyebrows even more.

At the same time, something warm and heavy suddenly bumped into his legs. Surprised, the man lowered his head quickly to see a small figure who was hugging his legs.

"Papa!"

A cute loud voice echoed throughout the black and pink room that was still adorned by a bright light from a crystal lamp that was hanging on the ceiling.

"Crystal?" The man widely opened his eyes. Holding the door which hadn't been fully opened with one foot, he looked down to see his beloved roseate girl and asked, "You're still awake?"

"Yes!" A five-year-old girl who was now hugging his legs tightly raised her face, showing her wide smile at her father then proudly said, "Cool, right!?"

"Sorry uncle, Crystal insisted to stay awake even though I told her it was already late."

Hearing another voice from the room, Cor raised his gaze. His blue orbs now met two emeralds who were saying an apology to him. The bespectacled boy who stood not far from where he stood was Ignis Scientia, his daughter's childhood friend.

A long sigh escaped from Cor's mouth as he understood what just happened in front of him.

After a few seconds of silence, he who had fully understood what had happened immediately lowered his voice, scolding the girl who was still smiling and showing off her small teeth at him, "Crystalcrown, Papa already told you not to bother Ignis."

"But Papa going home today! Kuri want to welcome Papa!" Sensing an unfriendly tone from her father, Crystalcrown quickly made a pitiful face while telling a self-defense sentence. She gripped Cor's pants harder as if trying to tell the man who didn't share the same blood with her that she really meant her words.

"Crystal, there's another reason, isn't it?" Ignis, a nine-year-old boy who was still standing there, raised both corners of his lips and stared at his little friend with a gaze that conveyed a hidden meaning. After making sure the young girl returned his smile, he began to walk toward the door, deciding to leave so the father and the daughter could have their time together. "Then, I'll go back to my room. Good night Uncle Cor, Crystal."

"Sorry, Ignis." Cor suddenly opened his lips, uttering a sentence that for some reason he really wanted to say to the little Scientia who was now bowing down to him. Well, the real reason was clear. He wanted to apologize because Crystalcrown was always spoiled by Ignis.

More or less, even though his little daughter was taken care of by the servants in the citadel, half of the work was done by the dirty blonde boy since she was a baby. So, it was natural for Crystalcrown to be always clingy to him, or even worse, to always bother the future adviser.

_Wait... Does that mean that it would be correct if he said that it was Ignis who was always caring for Crystal...?_

"It's okay, Uncle." The boy shook his head.

"Bye, Iggu!"

Ignis's smile grew bolder as he saw Cor Leonis's daughter cheerfully waving her hand at him while saying adorable parting words. He replied to her by also waving his hand before leaving her room and returned back to his own room.

After the Scientia left, Cor immediately turned around and opened his mouth again to discipline his daughter whom he knew often caused trouble for the future royal adviser—

"Crystal—"

"Look! Look! What's different from Kuri?"

—But he had to let his sentence be interrupted by a childish voice that suddenly squeaked cheerfully.

After the question echoed throughout the room, the man knitted his eyebrows, signaling his confusion. Eyes tracing the tiny figure who lifted her head to look at him while smiling, Cor silently inspected the Leonis girl who was much shorter than him.

Cor still tried to figure out what was the meaning behind Crystalcrown's words. Observing her from head to toe for half of the minutes, he then blinked when he found something he was searching for. A faint smile passed over his face, then he answered, "Your hair."

"Correct!" Hearing her Papa's answer made the child who was wearing a black lace nightgown laugh happily. She smiled and spun around, letting her roseate pigtails hair to dance along with her movement. "Good?"

"Yes." The man who still hadn't removed the thin smile from his lips walked closer to his daughter before stretching out his arms to bring her small body into his embrace.

"Kuri thought Papa could only notice the difference in swords, but Papa found out that Kuri had new hair!"

Hearing the babbling from a five-year-old in his arms made the small laugh escape from the Leonis's mouth.

"Don't tell me you're actually still awake only to show this?" He asked.

"Yes! I ask Iggu to make my hair new because Papa will go home! And because Papa like it, from tomorrow Kuri will use this hair!"

Right... He made the right decision to apologize to the dirty blonde boy who had accompanied Crystalcrown a while ago. It turned out that this little princess might have forced Ignis to do something as she wished.

_I'm sorry, Ignis._

Cor walked to the lamp switch near the door, then turned the lights off to inform the little Leonis that they should sleep. After carefully putting his daughter's small body on the big bed in that room, he took off his jacket, placed it on the chair in front of the dressing table, and then lay down beside Crystalcrown.

His long hands swiftly pulled the pink blanket near his feet to wrap himself and the figure beside him who was now leaning toward him. A smile still hadn't gone from Crystalcrown's tiny lips. Perhaps, she was really happy because Cor managed to guess her question earlier.

"It's late, let's go to sleep."

He lowered his voice, telling Crystalcrown's implicitly that he was tired. Yes. The soft pillow under his head made him inevitably realize how tired he was. Even though looking at her daughter's cute face treated his tiredness a little, his body, indeed, needed a rest.

"It's been a long time sleeping with Papa... Usually, Kuri will receive Noji's kick!" The little girl sighed softly, frowned, and shook her head dramatically. "But, but, after that, Iggu sleep in the middle. So Kuri can hug Iggu." She confessed while moving her body closer to her father. "Papa smell like soap!"

Cor, who also moved his body closer to Crystalcrown, raised one corner of his lips because of the girl's little story. It was not the first time he heard about this story. She often told him that she usually slept with Noctis—who she called Noji because she couldn't say Noctis- _ouji_ —and Ignis.

The laughter that escaped from Cor's lips told the tiny Leonis that her father enjoyed her story. Cor then moved his long fingers to play with soft strands of the roseate. He stroked her head softly as he tried to make the figure beside him fall asleep—even though he knew it wasn't an easy task.

"Papa went home first." The man answered.

"Eeeehh… Papa can take a bath here with Kuri!"

"It's already late, you'll catch a cold." He returned the five years old girl's complaint in a flat tone. Closing his eyes for a moment, he then abruptly opened it again to look at the pink Leonis and asked curiously, "You still haven't taken a bath?"

"I have!" The little Leonis replied in a proud tone.

"With Ignis?"

"No! Kuri wash herself!"

A super proud tone from the princess's mouth made the man inevitably chuckle. Crystalcrown told him like it was the best achievement she got.

Cor smiled, still laughing as he patted the top of his little girl's head again.

"Great!" He nodded. "Then let's sleep— wait. You want to sleep with that hair?"

"This is Iggu's work!"

"But it will be a mess when you wake up in the morning."

"Then tomorrow it will be Papa's work!"

Cor didn't seem to respond to Crystalcrown's last words. Drowsiness really made him unfocused. Therefore, after loosening two hair ties of his tiny princess a little—to prevent his daughter from suffering from a headache—and giving a good night kiss on her forehead, he immediately sank into the dreamland.

These were the peaceful days that he had been longing for since he returned from his duties two hours ago...

xXxMomentsxXx

"Nooooooooo!"

That long childish scream echoed throughout her entire room. It was very loud, so loud that it made a couple of soft brown furry creatures shocked and flapped their wings to fly away from the black window frame outside that pink and black room.

Inside the room which was being filled by the vanilla scent, there was a child who showed her annoyed face and a man whose stiff face showed a defeated expression.

Cor let go of his grasp from the long soft hair before him. His hands were left hanging in the air and his face showed a face of failure. The man who sat on the chair in front of the crystal princess's dressing table looked down, staring at Crystalcrown—a little girl on his lap who pouted at him—through the mirror.

"Crystalcrown… I can't."

Finally he opened his mouth, blurting his frustration because he kept failing to tie his daughter's hair.

Yes. Tying a hair.

Now, Cor Leonis was sitting in front of a black dressing table with a five-year-old girl on his lap to tie her hair.

As Crystalcrown's said last night before she went to the dreamworld, if Ignis' work became awful in the morning, she would ask her father to do her hair.

However, instead of getting what she wanted, the roseate faced the fact that Cor Leonis was unable to tie her hair.

_Of course! Whose hair had been styled by the infamous Cor the Immortal?_

"Here! Like this! Take it a little, then tie it." Crystalcrown's small hands demonstrated, trying to set an example to the man behind her who was giving a long, desperate sigh. The man didn't know, very very unaware that there would be such a difficult mission he needed to do today. "Papa! Kuri said to take a little! Why you take it all?! Aaahh! It's failing again!"

He tried many times but he kept failing.

That was what inside the man's mind. The protest from his little girl on his lap almost made him rub his face with his big palm. Cor wanted to moan in frustration, he wanted to sigh roughly, but he didn't do it. Well, he simply couldn't. The reason was that he found his little daughter's pout grew worse; her chubby cheeks bulged and her small lips pursed in annoyance.

At first, Crystalcrown gave him her adorable face. However, after her father kept failing and not even giving her satisfactory results, her face actually turned into a scary one.

Cor Leonis now was frustrated in failure and the cause was not because he didn't succeed in his mission, but because he couldn't tie his daughter's hair.

"Then you tie it up by yourself."

Finally the sentence slipped out from the man's thin lips. He removed the black rubbers that had been scrambling the crystal's princess hair and gave those small objects to the figure on his lap.

If it was in a normal condition and related to his work, Cor was not a person who would give up so easily. In fact, he was actually a stubborn figure who refused to accept defeat. However, it turned out that it was only applicable to battlefields and muscle fights. Apart from that, it seemed like he should accept the fact that he was incapable of doing one or two things…

Well… especially like… tying hair. Yes. He tried it five times but he kept failing. Today's morning mission was, indeed, too difficult for a Cor Leonis.

"No! Kuri wants Papa to do it! Kuri wants to show it off!" The childish high-pitched voice once again filled the room. Crystalcrown quickly shook her head, grabbing the black rubber and giving it back to her father. "Pleasee..." Added the five-years-old child while putting a pitiful face that Cor couldn't ignore.

Once again, the brown-haired man there was defeated. His sturdy shoulders drooped weakly as a sign of his defeat. He could never win if Crystalcrown gave him that adorable expression.

The stiff-faced Leonis... had been defeated by his little daughter countless times.

After sighing—who knew how many times he did that since yesterday—, Cor took back the pink comb on the dressing table, combing his daughter's hair again, and bringing it together as what was explained by his daughter a while ago. This was the sixth try—

"Ouch! Papa you pulled Kuri hair!"

—and he failed again. He, who did have good reflexes, quickly moved his hands away from the small head that now had turned to him. Crystalcrown's tiny lips once again pursed, displaying extreme displeasure on her cute face.

"Sorry."

Only one word that came out from the mouth of the most respected man in Crownsguard. The blue met two rose pearls that stared at him with an annoyed glint.

In the sixth try, Cor failed again.

"Papaaaaaaa ~!" Crystal moaned in frustration, showing him how annoyed she was because her beloved father couldn't do something so easy. "Why don't you be like Iggu?! It's because Papa is holding a sword too often!" The little Leonis let go of her frustration. She crawled down from Cor's thighs, put her tiny hands on her hips, and glared at the man.

"Holding a sword is a part of my job."

"I want Papa to stay at home and just play with me!"

"I can't, Crystal."

"You're right." Unexpectedly, the girl who was complaining a second ago suddenly agreed with the man's opinion. "Noji said that if you stop working, you will be jobless."

Cor blinked for a few times and couldn't help but put an amused smile on his face after hearing his daughter's words.

"Iggu also said that Papa went to protect the city! Then, Kuri will tie Papa's hair!"

The wrinkles on the handsome man's forehead suddenly grew bolder when Cor heard Crystalcrown's last sentence. He frowned, thinking really hard about the correlations between the little girl's sentences.

_What is the correlation between his work and Crystal wanting to tie his hair?_

"It's impossible, Crystalcrown." The man finally let out a long sigh, trying to tell her that he refused her idea.

"But Kuri want to try!"

Unfortunately, the little girl ignored his rejection. If she wanted something, Crystalcrown would continue to ask until her wishes were fulfilled. _Really, what a spoiled child..._ and Cor wanted to blame himself for being unable to scold her.

He wanted to do that, but he never did anything that showed him the right to scold the child because… he often left her alone.

Sighing—losing again—, Cor nodded. He turned his body that had been facing the mirror of the dressing table before to the left side so his daughter could get more free access to tie his hair. He also bent his body forward and lowered down his head so the roseate girl's short arms could reach his head.

He closed his eyes as he felt her small fingers were playing on his head. Even though he couldn't discipline the child, at least this time he knew that what Crystalcrown was doing right now wasn't something that troublesome—

"Ahh Crystalcrown! You pulled my hair!"

— but… Not.

Cor quickly screamed in pain when he felt a sting in his head. However, he still stayed in his position because Crystalcrown's gripped his hair so hard.

"Papa has no hair! "

"I have!"

"But it can't be tied!"

 _Of course!_ Cor really wanted to scream that sentence. But, instead of answering, he could only grimace when he felt the little girl's small hand still grabbed his short hair.

_Would it be better if he came this morning so that this scene wouldn't exist?_

Cor wanted to rub his face, but instead of doing that, he squeezed the white towel that wrapped around his waist and covered his lower body until his knees as he endured the pain.

"Crystal, I will lose my hair if you keep pulling like this."

In the end, the man protested after a few seconds resisting the pain in his head.

"But Kuri wants revenge!"

As she shrieked, the strong grip on the man's hair disappeared. Hearing it, the handsome figure raised his face in a swift motion to see the little girl before him now closed her mouth while widening her eyes.

"Oh... I see… So you want to get revenge." Said the man while squinting his eyes and bringing his face closer to his daughter.

"I-I mean to give an example to Papa!" Crystalcrown stammered, like the thieves who were caught red-handed when doing their crimes. But she wouldn't give up. She would defend herself with all her might. "But Kuri can't, Papa no hair!"

Hearing Crystalcrown's answer made Cor sigh once more. He then realized that she gave up on the first try. It meant that he, who had tried six times, could also wave a white flag, right?

"You gave up, right? Then me too." Finally, he said those words while crossing his arms.

"Nooo!" Once again the crystal princess screamed her objection. She immediately rushed toward the sturdy figure before her and pulled her father's arm. There was a displeased expression painted all over her cute face when the Crownsguard leader before her said "giving up". "Kuri's hair isn't difficult. Please try again Papa! Please!"

Cor gulped. Crystalcrown was now looking at him with teary eyes. Something pierced his heart as he found her cute face showed high hopes. He really really wanted to say 'no' to her but he didn't have the heart to do that. Therefore, now the man closed his eyes and took a very deep breath.

Great. Cor Leonis has been defeated many times by Crystalcrown Leonis.

In one swift movement, Cor lifted up Crystalcrown's tiny body and brought her onto his lap. The man then quickly grabbed the comb with a face of defeat. In contrast, the little girl now raised the corner of her lips to express her happiness. She swayed her legs, telling the world that she was really glad that her father still wanted to obey her selfish request.

The annoying feeling that hugged her small body a while ago was being replaced by amusement every time he saw her Papa who always showed a scary face wrinkled his forehead, showing a very serious face while styling her hair.

Crystalcrown was very happy. Her heart filled with joy because her father had returned. They rarely met because of the man's job, therefore, she didn't want to waste their time together— Cor would definitely be gone again for a long time.

_So... it was ok to be selfish and annoying like this, right?_

"Is this enough?"

The little girl blinked. She looked back to face her father then turned her head again to look at her reflection in the large mirror before them. Her pink diamonds glowed beautifully when she finally found her hair was being split in half even though it was still a bit messy.

The butterfly fluttered in her heart. She grinned so hard, showing off her small teeth even though Cor's work was not so good if being compared to the Scientia she loved.

"Not as good as Iggu."

Hearing what Crystalcrown's said made Cor really want to pull both of those pink cheeks to inform how hurt he was. Didn't she know that he had been struggling for the sake of her? And now his work was being compared to Ignis.

He sighed again. Feeling like an idiot to be hurt because he knew that the girl was only telling the

He wanted to open his mouth and reply to the girl's words. But before he did that, something popped up in his head. He blinked for a second, remembering that he had something in the pocket of his pants.

He moved the tiny Leonis's body and put her down on the floor before immediately walking to the sofa near the bathroom where his clothes were neatly folded. He reached into the pocket of his pants, looking for something he had bought a few days ago before he returned to Insomnia.

"Papa, what are you doing?"

Crystalcrown asked her father. Curious because he moved so suddenly and left her behind without saying anything.

"Here. I bought this for you."

"Ribbon!"

Looking at his little princess's reaction made Cor blinked and then let out a small giggle. With his alluring eyes, the man watched his little girl's reaction. Crystalcrown who was showing a confused face a while ago suddenly ran to him and grabbed the ribbons. The girl's face looked very happy as she smiled brightly.

Unknown to Cor, that child's overreaction was because she got something from her father who was rarely beside her. She was so happy. Even if it was a small and cheap thing, for her, it was the most luxurious treasure she got.

"You... like it?" Cor asked, unsure.

"Yes!" She answered hastily. "Please put in Kuri hair!"

Cor smiled and then sat down on the sofa behind him. He patted his thigh, telling the little girl to sit there.

"Papa can tie a ribbon, right?"

"Of course. It's the same as the shoestrings."

"Kuri's hair not shoes!"

Crystal complained in a loud voice. She frowned, feeling a little disturbed because her father had just said—implicitly—that her head was the same as the shoes.

"Done."

After Cor patted her head and said that he was done, the little girl immediately ran to her dressing table, climbed onto the chair that was not so high for her, and showed a satisfied face when she saw her reflection there.

Her sweet smile painted her cute face. She turned her head, looking at her father before yelling—

"Kuri will show it off!"

"Hey, Crystal!"

Cor who was still sitting on the couch a moment ago failed to catch Crystalcrown. She ran so fast, opened the door, and left the room without warning.

The Leonis wanted to chase his little princess, but now he wasn't wearing proper clothes to show it to people outside the room—he and Crystal had just finished bathing together.

On the other hand, the roseate girl who was now wearing a strawberry pattern dress running cheerfully, completely ignoring Cor's shout. She left her room, running to any place that her feet would take.

The hallway on that morning had been filled by several servants and guards. While running, after saying good morning the crystal princess said _'Look! Papa's work!'_ while pointing at her pigtails. The servants and guards who were greeted couldn't help but chuckled because of her adorable behavior. They nodded and some of them even replied: 'So cute, Miss Crystalcrown'.

The pink girl still swung her legs and greeted the people who were in her line of sight. Her heart was filled with a feeling of pride for her father's work and she wanted everyone in the building―the place she claimed as her playground―to know that. Therefore, she kept running, informing people that Cor Leonis had succeeded in styling her hair.

Still running, suddenly at the end of the hallway, she caught two familiar figures who always accompanied her. Her smile got wider and she moved her legs faster towards one of them.

"Uncle Regi!"

The little girl screamed loudly and bumped her tiny body into the king's legs which made him surprised.

"Crystalcrown?!"

"Kuri?"

Next to the King's, there was a prince who also showed his surprised face because his little friend was so noisy this morning. His kyanite eyes blinked, staring at Crystalcrown with a confused look.

"Uncle Regi, Noji, look! Papa's work!"

Crystalcrown let go of her arms from the king's legs, took a few steps back, and then held her two pigtails. Enveloped by a proud feeling, the girl once again showed off the results of her father.

"Cor—"

"What a mess."

The eight-year-old prince suddenly cut off his father's words. Sticking his tongue out towards his childhood friend, he purposely made the roseate girl upset.

"Noctis."

Regis, who wanted to reply Crystalcrown's words, averted his eyes, calling his son's name in a warning tone.

"Don't mock Papa's work! Papa tried!"

The crystal princess yelled. Approaching the prince, she was ready to bite the arm of the prince who had always been her fighting friend. But before she could do it, the little girl heard a deep voice of a man who shouted her name behind her.

_That was her father._

Crystalcrown turned her head, looking at Cor who appeared with short breaths then straightened up his body when he found that his child was now with Regis and Noctis.

"Oh Cor. Crystalcrown just boasted about your work."

Hearing his King's sentence like that made the heat crept into his cheeks. Unwittingly, he lowered his eyes then glared at the little Leonis who now laughed at him—in a cute way.

"I told you not to bother anyone."

"Kuri happy because Papa made this! Papa always busy!"

"Cor, it's okay."

"See? Uncle Regi said that too!"

_Everyone spoiled this child too much._

Unfortunately, Cor could only say that sentence in his heart while secretly sighing. Great. All people were always on his little princess's side.

_Did it mean that he really needed to be strict with her after this?_

"Cor, you can tell your report this afternoon." Suddenly Regis opened his mouth again, informing the Crownsguard Marshal that he gave the man free time until noon. The man showed a gentle face after completing his sentence earlier. "Oh. Right. We are going to the dining room. Do you want to come along?"

"We—"

"Thank you, uncle Regi." The little girl suddenly interrupted her father's words. She bent her head down, showing a courtesy. "Papa already invited Kuri to eat."

She finished her sentence while glancing meaningfully at the little prince—who also realized her gaze. Yes. Crystalcrown was lying. She didn't have any plans with Cor. She said that because she knew that these were rare moments for Noctis to eat together with Regis and she didn't want to interrupt them.

The brown-haired man who was still standing beside the roseate frowned. He knew her daughter was just blurting a lie but he didn't open his mouth. He just stood in silence, letting Crystacrown lie to the king.

"Why were you lying?"

Finally, the man asked the question after the King and the Prince left. Cor once again lowered his gaze, looking at his little princess with a curiosity.

"Because Noji doesn't want to be disturbed with uncle Regi." The girl answered while nodding, telling the Leonis man that she was very sure about her answer.

"You understand prince Noctis well, huh."

"Noji often shows his ugly face when he sad. Iggu and I will suffer if he like that."

Cor, who gave a question in a serious tone couldn't help but slightly raise the corner of his lips because of Crystalcrown's answer. A funny feeling tickled his stomach and he couldn't help but give off a chuckle.

"He's a prince, Crystalcrown."

"Kuri's prince just Ignis!" Crystal suddenly shouted out loud, showing her adorable pouting face after saying that.

"Fine. Papa understands." Cor also nodded, agreeing that since she was a child, this little girl indeed had a special interest towards Scientia boy. "So you want to go somewhere? I still have time until midday."

"Carry back!"

That was not the answer to the man's question but Cor obeyed the will of the pink girl who always smiled and showed off her small teeth.

"Tired of running?" He asked.

"People told Kuri cute, you know!" Crystalcrown rubbed her cheek to her father's hair. "Even if Noji said my hair was a mess."

"Sorry I can't tie it like Ignis."

"That's because Papa always hold swords, so Papa can't play with hair!"

"How can I practice... there's no way I tie my subordinate hair."

Listening to the answer of the man who carried her made Crystalcrown's frowned. Her sweet face now looked serious as she thought so hard to unravel his father's words earlier.

"Oh!" She exclaimed as if she had managed to understand what Cor wanted to tell. "Then Kuri will practice sword so that Kuri can participate in mission! Kuri will always be near Papa and Papa can practice pigtails!"

"It will take a long time." Cor lifted the corner of his lips, feeling funny because of his little princess's words. "I won't be as smart as Ignis then."

"Kuri will become strong quickly! Yesterday Kuri stabbed Noji's butt and hit Ignis head with a wooden sword!"

"Crystalcrown..."

Cor who heard that confession almost rubbed his face if only he was not holding his daughter's feet. First, Crystalcrown had just said innocently that she had committed violence to the future king and also to the future adviser. Second, that attitude didn't reflect her as a girl who had been raised next to the crown prince.

Without realizing it, he suddenly remembered his childhood. The scene of how mischievous he was at that time was being played in his mind.

_Was the child in his arms actually his child?_

"Kuri is Papa's daughter! Kuri can do it!"

Cor almost choked after hearing Crystalcrown's words. He wanted to see the little girl's face, but all he could do was tighten his grip on her short legs.

Daughter…

What if Crystalcrown knew the truth that she was being entrusted to him as a task for the future?

The man took a deep breath. Even though there was a slight bit of bitterness on his tongue as he remembered the truth, he knew that he loved her as if she was his real daughter.

Although the time for Crystalcrown to find out the reality of their relationship would come, only for this time, he wanted to spend their precious moments as a father and a daughter.

"Then I'll train you." Cor finally opened his mouth.

Hearing the answer given by the man who carried her, Crystalcrown immediately showed a happy face. She rubbed her cheek against the man's head and hugged his sturdy neck with her tiny arms.

"Then, Papa should practice pigtails first, okay?!"

She cheerfully asked. Even if he didn't want to, Cor would let his little princess strictly teach him how to tie her hair.

※ Fin ※

Bonus: she insisted to take a picture with Cor XD


End file.
